The Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously approved legislation designating the Earlington Business Center in Renton as the site for the County’s new Consolidated Elections Facility, and appropriated $343,000 toward its lease and renovation.

“It has been the goal of the Council—as well as the recommendation of every panel that has reviewed the operation of the Elections Section—that all elections functions need to reside under one roof,” said Council Chair Larry Gossett. “We now have a site that meets the needs of Elections. It’s time to get it ready for operation as soon as possible.”

“This move is another step forward in improving King County Elections,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, co-sponsor of the legislation. “Consolidating elections staff and operations in one building will improve security, reduce the risk of ballot processing errors, and allow for better management and communication. The new facility will be designed to accommodate and aid the county’s transition to vote-by-mail elections, another move that will help improve and simplify elections.”

“The Earlington Business Center will save us millions of dollars, have better parking, and will be ready by the end of this year, more than two years before we could finish new construction on the Goat Hill site,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, chair of the Council’s Operating Budget Committee who initiated a broker-assisted countywide search for facilities. “This option will give our Elections Section time to move into the new location and get prepared for the 2008 presidential election. It is the right business decision.”

Two sites had been under consideration for a consolidated elections facility: the Earlington Business Center located at 919 SW Grady Way in Renton, or a building site on county-owned property known as Goat Hill in downtown Seattle. Today’s action adopts a lease agreement with an option to purchase negotiated between the County Executive and Unico Properties, developers of the Earlington property.

“The Goat Hill site would have placed election functions under one roof, but spread the operation over several floors. The Renton location allows for better management and monitoring of ballot processing,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “This is once again a matter of helping restore the trust of voters even as we save those same voters money by reducing the risks involved with constructing a brand new facility.”

“This facility is a vital answer to providing an open and efficient elections process,” said Councilmember Jane Hague.

“This location allows us to more quickly consolidate our elections functions as recommended by the Citizens Elections Oversight Committee,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, chair of the Council’s Capital Budget Committee. “Our expectation is that this facility will be in operation in time for the 2008 presidential election.”

“It's obvious that Renton has a lot of great advantages. The city is transforming from a Boeing company town to a diversified economic powerhouse,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn. “This is a win-win that takes advantage of Renton's strengths and returns value to the residents of King County.”

“I think the citizens of King County are most concerned about accuracy in our elections system,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert. “Either site would allow consolidation of elections operations to improve speed and accuracy of counting ballots, especially for the implementation of all-mail voting. But the lower cost and faster timeline for getting the Renton site operational gives it the higher priority. I’ve heard from citizens that they want assurance that their votes are counted accurately. Also, the central location and connections to the transportation system should help improve accessibility.”

“The Renton site is cheaper, has free parking and is the only option that can be built before the 2008 presidential election,” said Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer.

Under the agreement, Unico will divide the Earlington site into two parcels and lease one of the parcels, along with the associated building and parking spaces, to King County. Unico would make substantial improvements to the two-story, 94,000 square foot building. King County has the right to approve the design of the building remodel although the costs of the remodel would be the sole responsibility of Unico. The County will begin making rent payments upon occupancy, which is currently scheduled for December 2007, and will have an option to buy the facility a short time after occupancy. The total cost of the project, including related moves of other County agencies is estimated at $43 million, a projected savings of at least $5 million over construction of a new Goat Hill facility.

A majority of the Council-appointed Citizens’ Elections Oversight Committee strongly favors the Earlington location. In its annual report submitted February 1, the committee cited seven unranked reasons for its recommendation that are quoted verbatim below:

• The physical configuration of the Renton site—two large floors, rather than four or five smaller floors—is easier to manage and monitor and better from a workflow standpoint.

• The transition to a permanent, consolidated, new facility should happen before the 2008 presidential election. That seems possible with the Renton site, which the Facilities Management Division (FMD) said would take 9 or 10 months to prepare (once the deal is negotiated); it is not possible with the Goat Hill site.

• An esprit de corps has developed among King County Elections workers since they moved to the Temporary Elections Annex. This seems to be attributable to being together in a facility that is distinctly separate from the rest of county government.

• The Renton site would have free parking, or at least parking that is much less expensive than it would be near the Goat Hill site.

• The Goat Hill site, which is at the top of a steep hill, is harder to reach from local bus stops. In addition to the general inconvenience, there would be the issue of accessibility for regular and temporary employees and election observers that would not exist at the Renton site.

• There are safety issues about the immediate neighborhood in which Goat Hill is located.

• The Goat Hill site is a difficult construction site that could have impacts on adjacent facilities.

Selection of the Earlington site is the result of a property search the Council initiated in 2005 to solicit proposals from a wide range of building owners and managers for the lease or purchase of an existing building, or construction of a new one.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system.
Type in “2007-0133,” “2007-0134” and “2007-0135”